Empower Therapy offers support and resources for California trans folx

In the wake of the horrific Colorado Springs Club Q Shooting, experienced clinicians and professionals provide support to the LGBTQIA+ community.

Empower Marriage and Family Therapy, a virtual group practice dedicated to holistic emotional wellness for adults, teens, and couples, offers therapy, support groups, and FAQ resources for trans individuals, couples, and their allies, in an effort to provide emotional support following the shooting at the LGBTQIA+ safe haven, Club Q, where a shooter killed five people and injured 18.

Sara Povey, owner of Empower and Sam Weiss, Clinical Director and Trans-Affirmative therapist, said of the Colorado Springs shooting on Nov 21 at Club Q, “This is not ok. This is why we fight, write Gender Affirmative surgery letters for free, and provide support groups for folx who are transitioning. The LGBTQIA+ community deserves a safe place to be themselves without fear. We want them to know they are not alone.” 

Empower Marriage and Family Therapy is a haven for LGBTQIA+ folx to find community and support. Whether you’re coming to terms with your identity, preparing for gender-affirming surgery, processing internalized transphobia, or struggling with gender dysphoria, a gender-affirming therapist will hold space for all of your feelings. At the same time, holding equal space for the feelings of pure euphoria and love that come with finding and expressing your most authentic self.

Sam Weiss is a trans-man and uses his experience with his own gender journey to help individuals make stronger connections to their own sense of gender and sexuality. “Transgender and gender non-conforming people are hurting right now and need a place to share their feelings and heal. That’s where we come in,” says Weiss. 

The mass shooting at Club Q happened at the start of Transgender Awareness Week, and on Transgender Day of Remembrance, a worldwide observance to remember and honor transgender victims of violence, making this senseless tragedy more grievous. Club Q opened in 2002, serving as a welcoming place for Colorado Springs LGBTQIA+ people and allies. Along with dancing and a friendly atmosphere, Club Q featured drag shows, DJ’s, GoGo dancers, and karaoke. In a recent Instagram post, Club Q made a plea to the public: “Club Q has always provided a space for LGBTQ people and our ally friends to celebrate together…We urge with everything in our heart for every person to do what they can to speak up for LGBTQ people and everyone’s right to be safe.”

Violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people has been on the rise since 2013. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation reported 256 cases of known fatal violence against transgender and gender non-conforming people, 47 in 2021 alone. Last year also saw 25 anti-LGBTQ bills enacted, nationwide.

Sara Povey hopes that people across the country will have similar opportunities for support through mental healthcare organizations that have experience working with the LGBTQIA+ community, similar to her team at Empower MFT in California. Empower has worked hard to create programs and individual therapy options including Gender Affirmative Therapy for affirmative care from clinicians with lived experience and training in gender-affirmative practices. The Empower team provides free consultation and gender-affirming surgery letters through The Gender Affirming Letter Access Project, a nationwide network of clinicians who offer sessions and letters at no cost.

Additionally, Empower Therapy runs two support groups for the trans community: Transpartners, a weekly virtual group for partners and spouses of gender-expansive individuals and Grown Folx Chat, a virtual group for trans/gender-expansive folx transitioning over 30. 

“No matter where you are, no matter how you are experiencing this trauma, please know that you have allies, and we are here to support you,” says Povey.

Learn More about Empower Therapy by visiting https://www.empowertherapyandcoaching.com/

About Empower Therapy

Empower Marriage and Family Therapy is a unique, unconventional, virtual group practice dedicated to holistic emotional wellness for adults, teens, and couples based in Long Beach, California. Their team of licensed counselors provide individual, couples, and group therapy, all carefully designed to empower our clients to live a full life of joy, purpose, connection, love, and fulfillment.

About the Clinicians

Sam Weiss (he/him) is a Clinical Director, Therapist, and Clinical Supervisor and at Empower Marriage and Family Therapy. His work and passion is serving the LGBTQIA+ community through consultation, therapy, group support, and community work. Sam is a trans-man and is also an LGBT-affirmative therapist.  Sam uses his experience with his own gender journey to help individuals make stronger connections to their own sense of gender and sexuality.  

Sara Povey (she/her) is the owner of Empower Marriage and Family Therapy, which she opened with the hopes of becoming a haven for adults and teens to excavate any barriers that come between folks and their fullest expression of self. She uses story, fairytales, and archetypes to support her clients in connecting with their own personal myth. Sara is also passionate about creating a healthy workspace for therapists to work from their most grounded nervous systems so they can provide the best care to their clients.